My Home Bound Soldier
by loverofmusic95
Summary: Rosalie Hale was just closing up her shop when love walked in. But, there's more to it than she thinks. Bella is a soldier in the army that has been through too much. Will these two find a way to work it out? PLEASE give feedback but take it easy. This is my first try at a fic of my own.
1. Chapter 1

My Home Bound Soldier

She's coming home today! My beautiful girlfriend is coming home from her final tour. I've been waiting ever since she left a year ago for her to return. That's when we first met.

_One year ago . . . _

I had just finished the paperwork that needed to be done for tomorrow when I heard someone ring the bell on the shop door. I took a quick glance at the clock and saw that it was only one minute to closing time. Wow, this person must be really desperate. I sighed and went to open the door.

When I did, I was rewarded with the sight of a beautiful woman in an army uniform. "Hello there, you here for some flowers?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'm surprising my family and I wanted to bring something other than just myself."

I backed away from the door, giving her room to come in. "Oh, that sounds sweet. Why don't you take a look around and let me know if you find something that you like or need help with something." She nodded and went to look around.

I kept an eye on her the whole time. She was quite the sight to see. Dark brown hair, brown eyes that just screamed love yet held a deep sadness in them, and luscious curves. Just one look at her and you could tell that she was in shape.

As I watched her move, I noticed that every now and then she would touch this one spot on her chest. Her face showed that she was in pain. I didn't want her to be in pain. I didn't want this angel to do anything that she didn't want to do. What was going on with me? I mean, I know that I like women, but this was someone that I didn't even know. I had only exchanged a few sentences with her. Weird.

She ended up getting a bouquet of different flowers all in one. It was one of the most expensive bouquets in the store. I was surprised to say the least. You only buy really expensive flowers for someone that you're in love with. As I thought about that, my smile faded from my lips and my hopes just drowned in the sadness that I was feeling.

"That's an excellent choice. These are my favorite to make. They're so pretty and I think they say a lot to the person you give them to."

She smiled and handed me her card. Just as I was about to put it through, she stopped me. "Oh, crap! That's the wrong card. Let me get the right one for you." She searched through her bag for a couple minutes and let out a curse. "You've got to be kidding me. I'm so sorry but I seem to have misplaced my card. I can't buy those flowers."

I don't know if it was the look on her face or the fact that I just really liked her, but I wrapped up the flowers and gave them to her. "Don't worry about it. Let's consider this my thank you for protecting our country." The smile that came on her face was one that I will never forget. It was fantastic; she was fantastic.

She quickly said thank you and left the shop. I sighed at the thought that I would never get to see her again. I should've done something. I should have asked out for coffee or something. Ugh, I'm such an idiot. I went back to my office to grab my purse. I looked at the clock and noticed that I was fifteen minutes late to the dinner with my friend and her family. I grabbed my purse and rushed out of the store.

It took me another ten minutes to get to the house. As I was parked, I noticed another car that I had never seen here before. Huh, I wonder who that could be. I grabbed my stuff and went to the door. Just as I was about to go inside, I heard something to my left. I followed the noise until I saw who it was. It was the girl from the shop. She had the bouquet of flowers in her hand and was picking at the grass.

I moved closer and I guess she must have heard me because her hand snapped up and she looked frightened. As soon as she saw that it was me, she seemed to relax, but only minimally.

I continued to walk forward and stopped a few steps away. "Hey, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at some family dinner?"

She shrugged. "I am at the dinner, technically. I just haven't gone inside yet."

I laughed. "Well, that's kind of weird; this is the dinner that I'm supposed to be going to. My brother, Jasper Whitlock, is Alice Cullen's boyfriend. We have weekly dinners with the Cullens. How do you know them?"

She smiled. "They're my parents, of sorts." I was confused and it must have shown on my face because she continued. "When I was little my mom was killed in a car crash, so I came to live with my dad. A year after I moved, my dad was killed in a terrorist attack. He's the reason that I went into the army. I wanted to do everything I could to make sure that what happened to me didn't happen to another little girl. I was only five when that happened, so I had to go into foster care. I was only there for a day before Carlisle and Esme took me in. Carlisle had to do a check up on me before I was officially in the foster care and apparently as he puts it, he fell in love with me. Ever since then, they have been my parents."

I was shocked. She had been through so much and still came out as this strong woman. "Well, I'm glad they found you or else I wouldn't have gotten to meet you. What do you say we go inside though? It's getting a little wet out here."

Her face dropped. "I can't go in there."

"Why not?"

She sighed. "I can't stand the way that they will look at me. I can't stand the look of pity. Sure, they're proud of me and everything but they are mostly sad about what I have to go through. I just can't stand it."

I sighed and nodded. "Alright, I get you. Well, we can take this at your pace, Bella."Her head snapped up at her name and I laughed. "You didn't really think that I wouldn't figure out who you were, did you? Esme and Carlisle talk about you every chance they get and they're always wondering if anyone has talked to you lately and if you're safe."

Her lips twitched. "They always did worry too much." She looked up at the sky and then back to me. "We should go inside. I wanted to surprise them, so that's what I'm going to do." I nodded and got up with her.

We walked to the door and opened it. It sounded like everyone was already eating. Jasper's voice drifted from the dining room. "Nice that you could make it, Rose. We were getting worried for a minute there."

Bella and I walked into the dining room. "Well sorry brother, but I got caught up talking to someone who just turned out to be headed the same place that I was."

Everyone looked up and when they realized that Bella was with me, the room erupted in chaos. Esme and Carlisle were attacking Bella with hugs and kisses and her "siblings" were trying to get in on it too. Jasper and I hung back, just watching the family reunion.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Thanks to one of you readers out there, I noticed a problem with Chapter 2 so I had to take it down and redo the ending. If you've read it already you don't have to read it again, but things might not make sense next chapter. Also, still looking for a Beta reader! Contact me if you're interested! READ AND REVIEW please! I like to know what my readers are thinking. It helps me write the next chapter!**

Esme was crying tears of joy. She was so happy that her baby was home. Bella was shying away from everyone but Esme's touches. She rubbed that place in her chest again, painfully, but I didn't think much of it.

I couldn't help but stare at her as she was speaking. Every now and then her voice would crack, almost like she was about to burst into tears. Esme seemed to know and led Bella to the table. There was an extra seat that always stayed empty. That was Bella's seat. I remember when I tried to sit there for the dinner and Esme nearly started balling. I immediately moved to a different seat.

Before she sat down, Bella picked up the flowers that she had placed on the counter and gave them to Esme. "Oh, dear, these are wonderful. You didn't have to do this though. Just having you back is the greatest gift that you could ever give."

Bella just shrugged. "Well, I figured that they could keep the house smelling nice. Especially since Emmett's still living here."

"Hey!" The smile was gone and pout had replaced the expression on Emmett's face. "That's not fair, you haven't even been here. How would you know?"

She laughed. "I did live with you for 15 years Emmett. I think I would know."

"Alright, children, let's keep the teasing to a minimum at the table. Bella, why don't you take your seat at the table while I put these in some water and get you a plate." Bella seemed to want to help but Esme simply gave her the look and Bella sat down immediately. Everyone knew Esme Cullen's famous "mother look". Once she pulled that out, there simply was no more arguing.

**************************** MHBS************************************************

"Aww, c'mon! Why did you do that? Now she has Boardwalk and Park Place!" Emmett whined. Bella was winning the game of Monopoly that was started nearly right after dinner. Currently, she just acquired Park Place and already owned quite a few properties. Just sitting here watching them was like watching an entertainment show. Emmett was almost out of money and Alice and Bella were battling each other.

I watched as Emmett rolled the dice and handed over his last bit of money to Bella. Just looking at her you could tell that she was happy to be with her family again. Sibling banter was going on, Carlisle and Esme were laughing at their children, and Jasper and I were just sitting there watching the two sisters.

"Hey Rose?" I looked over at Jasper, who was looking at me curiously. "Can we talk somewhere?"

I was definitely curious as to why he wanted to talk, but it must be about Alice. "Yeah, sure. Um, upstairs ok?" He nodded and I followed him to what I assumed was Alice's old room. "What's going on J?"

He sighed and sat down on the bed. "Rose, what's going on with you? Every time that I've looked over at you tonight, you're staring at Bella. What's your interest in her, Rosalie?"

Oh, that's what he wanted to talk about. I sighed and sat beside him. "I don't know J. She came in the flower shop to get some for the family and ever since then I've just felt this connection with her. She's just so beautiful and there's this light in her eyes when she laughs and when she's spending time with her family. But J, there's this part of me that knows everything is not alright with her. I want to help her, Jasper. I can't help wanting to be the one that helps her get through whatever it is. Bella's in pain, Jasper. I want to help her heal."

We sat in silence for a while until Alice came and found us. Bella won the game and it was time to go home. We walked down the stairs and I started saying goodbye to everyone. These family gatherings were one of my favorite things to do. Living alone, you don't really get to have a whole lot of social time. I mean, I run the shop from 7:30 in the morning until 5:30 at night. By the time that I get home, I have to make dinner, go to sleep, wake up and do it all over again. So, it was nice to have some scheduled social time every now and then.

"Hey, Bells, where are you staying? Aren't you staying with us?" Emmett brought up a good point. I just noticed that Bella was gathering her things too. Everyone was waiting for her answer.

"Um, well, I don't know. I just didn't want to impose and I usually get up pretty early in the morning so I don't want to wake you guys up." Just looking at her face you could tell she was sincere. "And I don't want to have to deal with Emmett coming in from football practice and stinking up the house." Everyone laughed at that, even Esme and Carlisle.

"Nonsense, dear, you're staying with us! I just got my baby back and I'm not giving you up." Esme ran over and hugged her. From the look on Bella's face, it looked like she was squeezing a little bit too hard. Her face was . I shook my head and smiled.

"Ok, Esme, I will, at least for a few days." At that, Esme's whole demeanor changed.

"When do you have to go back?" The tears were back and running down Esme's face.

Bella sighed and held her tighter." D-day is on the 15th of April." I racked my brain to remember the date, coming up with the 12th of February. So, she's going to be here for a little over 2 months. That was enough time for me to get to know her and see why she was in so much pain. This was going to be interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._ First an annoying sound and then a strange pain in my hand. I shot up in bed immediately and realized that I just hit my hand on the alarm clock. GREAT. I yawned and got out of bed.

First things first, I had to make pot of coffee. It was Saturday and I had to make sure I was wide awake when Alice came rolling through here to drag me out on another shopping trip. The clock read 6:30 and Alice said that she would be here at 7:30 which really meant that she would be here at 7:15. I ran up the stairs and jumped into the shower. I had to make myself look semi-decent but still able to run around. Alice's shopping trips weren't really shopping. They were more like a marathon more than anything else.

By the time the doorbell rang, I was already downstairs and ready to go. I quickly grabbed my purse and went to open the door. I wasn't expecting to see Bella on the other side though.

She smiled sheepishly and gave a little wave. "Um, hello Rosalie, Alice is in the car. She said that I needed some new clothes and that I should just come on this shopping trip and I couldn't deny her. You know how Alice is. Is that going to be ok with you?"

I swear my face was going to split in half with how happy I was. "It's completely fine with me, Bella." We headed to the car and got inside. "Hey, Alice!"

Alice spun around in the driver's seat and tried to hug me in the back seat. "Hey! Are we all ready? I'm so excited! This is going to be so much fun! And Bella's here!"

I smiled and rolled my eyes at her antics and turned to Bella. "So, how have you been today?"

Bella shrugged. "I've been alright. It's good to be back home but still weird at the same time."

Just looking at her, I could tell that she didn't sleep very well last night. She had bags under her eyes and they were tired. "Yeah, I bet." I turned to Alice. "Alright, Tink, where are we going this time?"

"Seattle!" I rolled my eyes and groaned. Of course she chooses the one place with the biggest mall and it's so far away that you really can't escape without spending lots of money on a taxi. Great.

Bella seemed to be thinking the same thing. She turned to me with this horrified look on her face. I couldn't help but laugh. This is a woman who has been in the army and she is afraid of her sister's shopping habits. That's hilarious.

"What's so funny?" Oh Alice if you only knew.

I waved her off. "Nothing Alice, your sister is just so funny." I smiled and winked at her.

Bella blushed at the sentiment. That just made me all the more intrigued. This woman in front of me was going to be the death of me. I couldn't imagine how this shopping trip was going to play out.

_Four Hours Later_

"Hey check out these shoes!" I held them up for Alice to see. They were black, closed-toe heels with a white bow on the end. "Hey, Bella what do you think of the" I had turned around to talk to her but she wasn't there. "Alice, where's Bella?"

Alice looked around and neither of us could find her. I mean, it was a little weird that I was so worried about her since she was a soldier and all, but I couldn't help it. I ran out of the store to look and see if she was there. There were so many people but I caught a glance of someone who could possibly be her. I took a few steps forward and realized that it was her, but she wasn't alone. There was a little boy right next to her.

I hurried over and saw that there were tears streaming down his face. "Bella, what happened?"

She sighed. "It seems that this boy has lost his mom. I didn't want him to stay here alone. That's how perverts get these kids." I nodded in understanding. The only thing that I couldn't imagine is how the mom wasn't here looking for her son already. I get that the boy probably ran off but you'd think she'd notice.

"Ok, so are we just waiting for the mom to come by or what?" Bella nodded. "Ok." I turned to the boy and smiled. "Hi there, my name's Rose, what's your name?"

The boy looked a little scared and glanced at Bella who nodded that it was ok. "Johnny."

I smiled. "Well, it's nice to meet you Johnny. What does your mom look like?"

"She's tall and has red hair, and she's wearing a pretty dress and she has. . ."

"JOHNNY!" I turned around quickly to see where that came from. "JOHNNY!" I searched the crowd until I found a woman frantically searching for any sign of her son. Once she spotted him with Bella and me though, she made a bee line, but didn't look as happy as I'd expect.

As soon as she was near, Johnny ran over and hugged her. "I'm sorry mommy, I'm so sorry."

Tears were coming down on their faces and I couldn't help but smile. "It's ok, it's ok, I'm here now. Did these people hurt you?"

I was a little shocked and Bella looked a little bit too. Really? If we hurt him, wouldn't we be gone by now? Geez.

Bella stood up and went over to the woman. "Ma'am my name is Bella; I saw Johnny sitting over here and came to ask what was wrong. I didn't want him to be taken so I just sat with him while we waited for you to come back. I promise that he is not hurt in any way. I would not do that, ma'am."

The woman nodded. "Well, then, thank you. I don't know what I would have done if I came back and he wasn't here. Thank you so much, soldier." Shock displayed on Bella's face. "Oh, my husband's in the army, I know a soldier when I see one. Thank you again." Bella smiled and nodded. For a while we just sat there and watched them walk away.

I looked over at Bella who was still watching. "That was a really nice thing for you to do. It's much better than knowing you ditched me with Alice to come sit on a bench."

She laughed. "Yeah, well, don't think that I didn't think of it."

We got up from the bench and went back into the store. Alice was still looking for shoes. "Hey, Ali, look who I found."

Alice looked and smiled. "Oh, hey, Bella, look at these shoes. I was thinking that they were perfect for you."

Ok, wasn't she just as worried as I was? "Alice, aren't you happy that I found her? Weren't you worried at all?"

She shrugged. "Not really. I know that Bella can take care of herself and she's a grown woman. I knew that she would be ok. Why were you so worried?"

I looked over to Bella who was looking at me waiting for my answer. "Um. . ." I looked over at Alice. She had a smirk on her face like she was a cat that just ate a canary. "Well, you know, I wasn't worried, I was just curious. I mean, you can handle yourself but you didn't seem like the type to just go off on your own without letting someone know."

That lie seemed to work, though Bella looked a little upset at the answer. Hmm, I wonder what that was about. I guess I will just have to find out.

** Hey y'all! I figured that I had kept the third chapter from you for enough time, so I hope that it was everything you wanted. Also, if you're wondering when the next chapter is going to come, 10 REVIEWS. After I get 10 REVIEWS on this chapter, I will release the next one. If you have any questions/ideas/thoughts PM me and let me know! I love to hear from you guys! **

**Until next time, **

**Loverofmusic95**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, hey! What is up peeps? Sorry about this chapter taking so long but it had to undergo some issue proofing and spring break is over so I had to find time to write it. Anyways, I got some reviews on the last chapter about it being a filler and how it was a little short, so I took both of those into account and here we go! I have made this one with something semi-important in it and it's longer so I hope you all enjoy! Also a big THANK YOU to CountingNumbers who gave me good advice on the story and who has kept me sane throughout the writing process of this chapter. Everyone say thank you to her in your reviews, 'cause she deserves it!**

**Disclaimer: None of this is mine except for the plot.**

Well, shopping turned out to be successful. I got a couple of shirt and some work pants that I could be comfortable in. Bella was able to find some outfits that are more appropriate for the time that she is going to be here in town. Alice's shopping, well, yeah. The little pixie never ceases to amaze me. She was able to buy a whole new wardrobe. I felt sorry for Jasper. He's going to have to unload all of these, because we all knew that Alice wasn't going to do it.

Usually we would be heading to the Cullen house to show Esme all of our stuff but not today. Sunday was usually one of my busiest days so I had to go home early. I was actually kind of sad about that. We would usually bring out everything so Esme could see what we got and really that was when Carlisle would make up some story about having a big medical case that he needed to do some work on. Of course, we all knew that he was lying but I couldn't really blame him.

Throughout the car ride, Alice just kept blabbering on about how great this shopping trip was and when the next one was going to be, while Bella and I were in our own little worlds. I looked at Bella and she seemed to be thinking hard on something while staring out the window, looking at the rain. Looking more at her eyes, there was that look again. That look that said something was bothering her; that something was haunting her almost. It confused me. How could a woman this wonderful have such a sad look on her face? I needed to get to the bottom of this and fix it, fast.

Another half an hour passed and we were finally pulling into the driveway at my house. It was absolutely pouring outside which of course didn't make me want to get out of the car any more than I already did. I put my coat on and I thought about trying to cover my hair but I knew it would be no use. The rain was falling too hard for anything to really protect my hair, so screw it. I opened the door and went to the back seat. Apparently that snapped Bella out of her stupor and she came out to help me. It was really nice of her and I would never turn down anything from her. I grabbed a couple of bags and went to my door to open it.

Once inside, I put the bags in the living room and went out to get some more. I passed Bella on my way out. It looked like she had brought the majority of the bags in. "Just set them in the living room, Bella. Thank you so much." She nodded and did so.

I grabbed the rest of the bags from the car and went back inside. Bella was sitting on the couch resting. The bags were heavy, so I didn't blame her for wanting to rest. That and I'm not sure I would want to get back in the car right away with Alice either. The girl was crazy. I took a seat next to her and sighed. "What are you thinking about?"

Bella shrugged. "Nothing really, I just don't want to go back home. As much as I love having my family around again, they are always around. They're always wondering if they can do something for me and that's cool but I have lived with pretty much nothing in the army. I know how to survive on my own and I'm used to it that way. Having them around is really weird. They seem almost overbearing and it's only been one night! But the whole night Esme was coming to check on me. I could hear her in the middle of the night, coming in my room and making sure that I was alright."

I nodded and smiled. "Esme always is the one to worry. I get you though. It can be a little unsettling when someone is just watching you the whole time even if it is for a good reason. But, you have to understand. Every night that I was over there, I would see Carlisle and Esme especially looking at your seat. They really missed you and worried about you. Maybe they just want to make sure that you're really there." She nodded and I sighed. "Look, you can stay here for a night or so if you want a break. I have no problem with that."

Bella nodded and smiled. "Thank you Rosalie. That's very nice of you. Oh! You've got something right here." She reached by my ear and pulled a fuzzy. I smiled and thanked her. "Um, anyways, I think I might take you up on your offer, another time though. I think you're right about sticking it out. Maybe it will stop in some time that is until I have to leave again."

Well, that was a downer. Totally just killed the mood of having a moment. Wait, let me check. Yep, moment gone. "Yeah." I looked at her for a moment and I before I could realize what I was about to do I tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Her face showed that she was a little shocked. I blushed and looked down. "Um, Bella, would you like to go for coffee some time?" I was watching her face to see her reaction but she wasn't really showing anything that I could interpret.

Finally she smiled shyly. "That would be great, Rosalie. How about the day after tomorrow? Esme and Carlisle are taking me to breakfast tomorrow and then we are going to Seattle to hang out before we see a play that's showing down there, so I can't do it tomorrow, but yeah, the next day is fine."

I nodded with a smile. "That's perfect then. Now, I don't' mean to be rude, but you better go before Alice breaks down my door 'cause we made her wait too long." We both laughed at the truth of that statement. I walked her to the door and reached down for the umbrella that I always kept there. "Here, Bell. You're already soaking wet and I wouldn't want you to get sick."

She smiled. "Thank you Rosalie. You're too kind. I'll see you later." I nodded. Dang straight she would be seeing me later. There was no way this was the end of our relationship. I stood in the doorway, watching as she got in the car and Alice drove away. Not only did this shopping trip produce good outfits, but it made me realize that Bella really was a nice person. Watching her with that boy, it just confirmed what I already thought; that she was an amazing person.

I grabbed the bags from the living room and went up to the bedroom so I could put them in the laundry. It would be great to be able to wear something new on Monday. Since it was only Saturday I still had time to get the laundry done. I went over to my stereo and turned on some music. Hmm. . . reggae will work. I moved my body to the beat of the music. This definitely made doing laundry more fun. During this time, my mind wandered to the wonderful woman with the name of Bella. I could just imagine her here right now, dancing with me, swaying our hips together, me leaning down to her neck – Wait, what?! Where the heck did that come from? This girl was really getting to me.

I don't understand. In my life, I have been with some women. I mean, c'mon who doesn't experiment during college, honestly? It was then that I learned I liked women more than men. Women are much gentler, and when we're lost, we both ask for directions instead of fighting and getting lost. And men usually like to watch more than one show at a time, especially with sports on, but not with women. With women, we watch one show at a time. It's really nice, but you wouldn't know it until you tried it. But even through all of my encounters, I have never felt this strong about anyone. I don't understand what it is about Bella that makes me so crazy about her.

Hopefully no one else knows besides Jasper, how I feel about her. Although, he is dating Alice Cullen, finder of every single bit of information that she could possibly get her hands on. Yep, she knows. There's no way that she couldn't know. I know Jasper would try his best to keep my secret but she is Alice. At least, I know Jasper well enough to know that he tried. Alice is just one of those people that is able to find out anything and everything that she wanted to.

I took the laundry that I had sorted out and went to the washroom to put it in the washer. I went back into my room and turned the stereo off before going back downstairs. I went into the kitchen and reached in the refrigerator for the leftovers from the night before last. I opened the container and threw it in the microwave for a couple minutes. Still, through all of this, Bella was on my mind. I needed some help. I needed to talk to someone. I reached for the phone and called the one person I knew would help without asking too many questions.

"_Hello."_

"Hey, Pete, it's Rosalie."

_"Oh, hey, sug, it's good to hear from you. What's going on?"_

"It's good to hear from you too. Is Charlotte there?"

_"Yeah, sure. Give me a minute to find her. It's really good to hear your voice again, Rosalie. You haven't come to visit in a while. We need to get you on a flight. Charlotte misses you."_

"What you don't?"

_"Yeah, whatever. Here's Charlotte."_

"_**Hey, sugar. How's it going up there?**_"

"It's going alright, Char. How is it down there? Peter treating you well?"

"_**Yeah, well, he's Peter, sug. Now, do you want to tell me the real reason you called?**_"

I sighed and sat down with my food. "You always knew when I had an alternate reason for calling."

"_**Well, it's not hard to tell, sugar. You are always so confident, so when you call me with hesitancy in your voice, I know you're calling for a different reason than just to say hi. So, tell me what it is."**_

"Oh, Char, I don't know what to do!"

"_**About what, honey?**_"

"So, two days ago, I met this woman. She's beautiful Char. Like, drop dead gorgeous. But, there's some sort of darkness that she keeps hidden. She's in the army so I understand that it could be something related to that, but I can't stop myself from wanting to help her. I've never felt this strongly for _anyone_, Char! I don't understand it. Even with how close we were, it's not even a fraction of how strongly I feel for this girl."

"_**Ok, well, that's interesting. Has she shown any interest in you?**_"

"Well, I asked her out for coffee today and she said yes. And right before that, I had a fuzzy on my jacket and she took it off for me. It was right by my face. It seemed like a moment. I just feel this really strong connection to her Char. I think she feels it to, but I don't know Char. She hasn't said anything besides today."

I heard her sigh into the receiver. _**"Ok, well that makes things a little bit harder, but it's good that she agreed for coffee. I think you just need to give her some time. Take it slow. Maybe do the coffee thing for a while. You said she's in the army?"**_

"Yeah. She's on leave right now."

_**"Hmm. You just can't catch a break here, can you? Ok, so you only have a certain amount of time to find out if you guys are compatible. Rose, you're a wonderful woman. I know that she is going to see that. Anybody with eyes can see that. You just need to keep being you, honey."**_

I smiled. "Alright, thanks, Char. I'll talk to you later. Tell Peter I said bye."

_**"Of course, sugar. Keep me posted. Talk to you later, babe."**_

I ended the call and finished up with dinner, thinking about what Charlotte said. Hopefully being myself would be enough. The first step would be taken when we went for coffee. I just hope that Bella liked what she saw.


End file.
